Hektor Strangeway
Appearance Hektor is rarely seen without his black wide brimmed cavalier hat with various baubles and plumage tangled in its band. Hektor calls it his "lucky hat" and has a variety of stories of how he got it, none of which are likely true. Under it, he wears a yellow bandana to hold back his long black hair that he takes great pride in grooming. More baubles hang from his bandana, making jangling noises when he walks. He claims that if he ever dies, the metal tied to his bandana should be enough to pay for his funeral. Hektor has a tattoo of a skull overlaid with his face, part of which is covered by Hektor's well-kept beard. Hektor says that the tattoo was the closest rendition that the tattooist could get to the Keeper's face itself, which Hektor claims to have seen in his youth. As Hektor is always smiling in good humor, the tattoo is rarely that terrifying, but when the smile drops and his sea green eyes stare out from within the black of the tattoo, for some reason his face suddenly seems more skeletal than flesh. The ragged long grey coat he wears was pilfered from a Karrnish captain and multiple sashes of various fabrics and colors covers the scale armor he wears underneath. Around his neck tied by a leather strap is a dull iron kitchen knife that he uses as a holy symbol. With his simple prosthetic leg, Hektor's mobility is not what it used to be, and he leans heavily on a cane when walking. This cane is made of sturdy oak and is topped with a whale tooth skrimshaw handle, depicting a windswept ship with intricately written names in small detail within each wave rocking the boat. When the handle is twisted a certain way a mechanism within the cane is released, revealing the hidden rapier sheathed within the wood. Fluff History Hektor was born to a family of sailors. His father was a merchant, one of his brother became a pirate, and the other joined the Heavenly Fleet. One by one they went out to sea and never returned. His father was blown overboard in a storm, his pirate brother was executed in Karrnath, and his “hero” brother was found in a ditch in Regalport with a dagger planted in his back. Hektor watched his mother attempt to earn a living on the streets for herself and for him, and contract some withering illness, which soon spread to him as he cared for her. In a fevered dream Hektor saw a hunched cloaked figure approach, but before it could touch him, he lashed out with a kitchen knife that burst with light. The figure recoiled from Hektor and departed. Hektor awoke the next day, with his fever gone. His mother however, was not as lucky. After burying his mother, Hector swore an oath to use his own power and tenacity to claw his way to fame and fortune; Keeper be damned. Hector went about fulfilling his oath right away and by the age of 24 had a full ship, a Lyrandar first mate (that may or may not have been the actual brains of the operation) and fleet at his command, and gained a large sum of gold raiding Karrnish ships, earning him a title of nobility in Port Verge. This streak of good fortune was not meant to last. A year after the Last War, Karrnish ships became more and more defended and more costly to raid. While Hektor made good coin being the only captain stupid brave enough to take a Wayfinder academic by the name of Alestair Nelview (gentleman adventurer) to Tempest Isle and close to the reefs of Trebaz Sinara, it was not enough to maintain his fleet, and one by one ships left to pursue better offers by nobles in better positions and fortune. The final blow to Hektor was the loss of his ship The Errant ''and his right leg. A year latter Hektor was invited to join the Wayfinders who were petitioned by Nelview that Hektor "while a bit of a shady fellow, holds within him panache, tenacity and bravery bordering stupidity, that would make him an excellent addition to our organization". Hector jumped at the opportunity to join the Wayfinders and regain the glory and fortune he had lost, albeit in a foreign setting. Involvement in the Last War During the Last War, Hektor went about raiding ships that ventured too close to Lhazaar waters. Wayfinder Expeditions Welcome to the Jungle Ah, you'd like to know what happened to your friend Hektor do you? Sit around and I'll tell you, my friend. So I had just joined the Wayfinders, on account of my fearlessness and rugged good looks, no doubt, was approached by a hobgoblin who said to me "Hektor, you are just the man I need for this mission I am embarking on. Your friend Cade put in a good word for you." That be Cade alright. That halfling always seems to have a good word about everyone, then sometimes he takes it back and tells them to stuff it. Thankfully hasn't done that to me yet. I said to him "Worry not, for I, Hektor Strangeway, will let no harm come to you." Why are you rolling your eyes? That is exactly what I said, my friend. Anyway, I think this is a good opportunity to show my sailing skills. Instead, we spat in the Devourer's face for a few days in one of Lyrandar's flying abominations and had to fight off a living storm. Cade was thrown off the ship but the pilot, a man by the name of Washburn caught him with the ship in a maneuver that gained us Cade, but lost me my breakfast. We were then told our mission, find a man by the name of Sue, have him take us to the Riedran Camp, and break the crews Captain and a girl out of the Riedran's clutches. (Yes, apparently the Riedrans are mind controlled by demons and kidnap children. I was surprised too, my friend.) So we wait for Sue at an inn and he doesn't show up, so Cade, Miss Reva and Miss Beckett go and find out what became of him, and myself and Mister Ketaal waited in the inn. And nothing happened at the inn. The rest is a bit boring. We found where Sue lived, Mister Ketaal punched an elf out a window, and we discovered that Sue was set up as a gladiator. We did some reconnaissance on the arena, and I met the good Captain Dread and shared a drink. When the party and myself attempted to return to the airship we were jumped by a troll, but Cade used his magic to make the troll take a bath. Wise move if I do say so, my friend, I can tell you while I have met trolls who have taken to bathing this one had not. Then we found that some third rate, bowler hat wearing criminal had taken the ship. So Cade, being the diplomat, struck a deal. With Sue, we fought an Oni that was the champion of the arena. I will say, I almost died. It would be an experience I do not wish to repeat, my friend. We eventually vanquished the beast with sword and spell and Mister Ketaal cut the things head off and raised it to the crowd. Bowler Hat got his sovereigns and we got Sue back. Then with the help of the perfectly above the board Captain Dread, we headed for the Riedran camp. I will not say a bad thing about Miss Dread. She is a woman of principle and infinite compassion and when we told her of the plight of a small child (and a hearty sum of Crysteel, and payment if it was not attained) she agreed reluctantly to engage in our rescue mission. (Why are you writing this down, my friend? This is a story, and everything I say can be denied in any court of law you bring me to. Defensive? I am not being defensive.) Regardless, we went down the Hydra river and found a Riedran ship approaching us. My party argued about reason and subtlety but I, purely out of the compassion I felt toward our rescue targets and nothing else, urged them to take the chance and take the ship. I was skeptical of Miss Becketts plan to set up a roc as an illusion behind the ship, but it worked when the Riedrans in their panic fired their weapons upon the illusory avian. We boarded gloriously. I stayed on deck supported by Mister Ketaal while the others went about the task of finding the captives. I crossed swords with a possessed man with Mister Ketaal and took him out with a swift blow from my cane. Then Mister Ketaal crushed the man's head while he was unconscious. (Yes, you're right, my friend, this story does involve Mister Ketaal killing a lot of things in increasingly gory ways. I never thought about it that much at the time.) Then the roc came, we came down to the brig and Miss Beckett, Miss Reva and Cade had freed the prisoners and defeated the monster that guarded them. Miss Beckett blasted a hole in the side of the ship, Cade and I bolstered the prisoners moral as Miss Reva made a bridge of debris for us to cross (not before Mister Ketaal threw a few of the Prisoners onto Captain Dread's boat, however. The impact sound that they made was quite sharp as most were nothing but bone.) We left the Riedrans to their fate, and sailed off into the sunset. What? You heard Mister Ketaal and I were beaten up by common thugs and we were only saved because Cade showed up and used his song magic to stop them? Who told you that? Cade? You shouldn't believe everything he says. No, I'm not saying he's lying, it just ruins the story, my friend. Enemies * The Chaos Fleet * Various Karrnish Captains * Has a hatred of High Prince Rygar ir'Wynarn (unrequited) * Had a fling with a priestess of the Devourer that didn't take his subsequent break-up letter too well. * Some Riedrans? (See Into the Jungle) * Magebred of Metrol (See Apparel in Peril) Secrets * Hektor's ship didn't sink. It was taken by the Chaos Fleet along with his crew. Hektor barely escaped with his own life and is currently seeking ways to enact vengeance on the elemental scourge of the seas. * During the time between the loss of his ship and joining the Wayfinder Foundation, Hektor fell into a downward spiral. The loss of his ship, leg, crew and fortune caused Hektor to question his own abilities and weaken his divine powers significantly. When Alestair Nelview found him he was drinking away the last of his coin in a bar and was a shadow of his former self. While Hektor attempts to maintain the facade of being cheerful and carefree, the depths he fell to and almost abandoning his oath, genuinely disturbs him. * Contrary to how he acts, he does not have a limp and his prosthetic works perfectly fine. Traits, Ideals, Bonds & Flaws '''Personality Traits' * Stories are meant to be embellished! Otherwise they wouldn't be stories. They would be facts and facts are as boring as the monocled dusty professors who preach them. Aye, fine maybe I wasn't attacked by a Kraken, but it was still quite a large octopus, I tell you. AYE, it was a Kraken, my friend. A mechanical beast of foul malevolence brought to haunt the depths by the schemes of the Gorgon's. But the sword of Hektor Strangeway whether man or beast slays without mercy if his crew be on the line. * I'm usually in a good mood. Don't ruin it for me, my friend. Ideals * Mastery: I'm a predator, and the other ships on the sea are my prey. No rules of man on the sea, only steel, sweat and blood. * Crew: A man doesn't break ties with his crew, or with his ship. These bonds are sacred save by actions of mutiny, and woe be the man that casts his dice against me. Bonds * The Chaos Fleet murdered my crew and changed them into elemental monsters, plundered and stole my ship, and left me to die. Vengeance will be mine. Flaws * Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation. * I am very afraid of death. Crunch XP & Gold Log This transaction list must include all finished expeditions and the gold/XP earned for each, as well as all expenditures (what you bought and for how much). Inventory * Armor and Clothes ** Common clothes ** Fancy Hat (Lucky charm) ** Scale Mail * Weapons ** Belaying pin (club) ** Rapier x2 ** Cane Sword * Packs ** Explorer's Pack * Other Items ** Amulet holy symbol ** Belt pouch (with coins) ** Silk rope, 50 feet of ** Smoked Lenses Character Sheet * Link Category:Characters Category:Retired